SanDisk shuts MP3 stand at IFA show over patent spat

SanDisk has been forced to shut down its stall at a Berlin consumer electronics fair by a court injunction granted to an Italian patent management company. Societa Italiana per lo Sviluppo Dell' Elettronica (Sisvel) persuaded a court in the German capital that SanDisk was in breach of patents on MP3 technology that it manages on behalf of the patents' owners: France Telecom, TDF, US Philips, Philips Electronics NV, Institut fur Rundfunktechnik and Bayerische Rundfunkwerbung. SanDisk declined to comment, but complied with the court ruling and removed its portable music players, including the recently unveiled e280, from the stall at IFA, leaving it distinctly bare. ...more

CA draws a line under financial troubles

CA is hoping to draw a line under its financial troubles, finally filing its late 10k and appointing a new CFO. The management software company has seen a fifth of its market value wiped out this year as it underwent an internal investigation into financial irregularities that brought to light stock awards made several years after they were granted, as well as errors in accounting for its subscription revenues prior to 2006. Its 10k form filed today noted 'material weaknesses in its financial controls . ...more

Adobe releases a tryout version of Illustrator CS

Adobe has released a tryout version of Illustrator CS, its illustration, graphic design and 3D software. The tryout includes full documentation but will no doubt have restrictions on saving and printing files, though it looks like you'll have to download it to find out. Due to changes in Adobe's policy on allowing software to be distributed on magazine cover discs, it's entirely possible that the only way to get this tryout will be to download it. ...more

Microsoft fixes eight new vulnerabilities in latest security update

Microsoft has released security patches to fix eight vulnerabilities - three of them critical - in its July bulletin. Two critical patches fix holes that would allow an attacker to remotely run code on a target system if successful. The first involves an issue with the Task Scheduler in Windows XP (including the 64bit edition) and Windows 2000. ...more

Digital music sales double worldwide in 2006

Worldwide digital music sales almost doubled in 2006 to around $2 billion, according to figures from the music industry body, the IFPI. In its latest publication - the Digital Music Report 2007 (pdf) - it surveys the music scene from a digital perspective. Digital sales now account for around 10 per cent of the music market, it believes, as record companies increasingly experiment with different business models and extend licensing partnerships. ...more